


Elysian

by Mokyo



Category: Fate/EXTRA, Fate/Grand Order
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:21:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21995170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mokyo/pseuds/Mokyo
Summary: When another version of the King of Heroes is summoned, something is obviously....off. Chosen as the vessel for the Greek God Hades, Gilgamesh mistakes Kishinami Hakuno as Persephone, and leads her to the Reverse Side of the World. More specifically, the Greek Underworld. Archer Gilgamesh, with the help of Chaldea, follow after this new side of himself.Not even Archer Gilgamesh could prepare himself for what hell he's about to walk into.
Relationships: Gilgamesh/Kishinami Hakuno
Comments: 20
Kudos: 108





	1. Flowers

“And while you are here, you shall rule all that lives and moves and shall have the greatest rights among the deathless gods: those who defraud you and do not appease your power with offerings, reverently performing rites and paying fit gifts, shall be punished for evermore." (Hades to Persephone, Homeric Hymn to Demeter 2.363)

It was a simple farming mission. Well, it was supposed to be.

Things never go as planned.

“Gudako!” Kishinami Hakuno exclaims, looking back at the young mage. “Please hurry! I don’t think Nero can hold them back for much longer!”

Looking down at the haphazardly placed summoning circle, Gudako wipes away sweat from her brow, before looking at the scene before them.

Ghosts.

There has to be at least twenty of them.

“They probably escaped from the Underworld.” Is what Nero told them.

Yeah, okay.

All this was supposed to be was a nice picnic in the Roman fields. It’s spring after all. It’s the perfect time to see the flowers bloom.

In fact, Nero is the one who suggested such an idea to her friend in the first place.

_“Praetor!” The blonde Saber calls, wrapping her arms around her former Master, Kishinami Hakuno._

_An annoyed sound comes from the man laying next to her Praetor._

_“Woman.” The man hisses. “Leave. My. Chambers. Now.”_

_“You hoard her in here, Golden one!” Nero argues, pulling Hakuno closer to her, earning a muffled sound from the woman. “I’ve seen her only three times since she wandered here to Chaldea!”_

_“You’ve seen her, she’s breathing, she’s fine. Now **leave.** I was resting before you barged in here with no warning.”_

_“Good thing I’m here to see Hakuno, and not you then Gilgamesh. It is your fault for leaving your door unlocked!”_

_“That won’t happen again.” Gilgamesh responds, his red eyes sending a glare to the Saber, before turning over, so that his back is to the pair. “I only allow you here, because my Master thinks so highly of you. If not, I would have sent you back to wherever you came from, Saber.”_

_Waving her hand in a dismissive manner, Nero turns her attention back to Hakuno. “Anyway! Hakuno, how are you? Are you truly okay? Is he keeping you here against your will?”_

_Pulling away from Nero, Hakuno meets her eyes. “I’m okay. He’s not keeping me here against my wishes. I can leave whenever I want. I’ve just been...”_

_“Tired?” Nero asks, to which Hakuno nods her head._

_Tired is one way to put it._

_The battle at the Temple of Time…that was one of the hardest battles she ever fought. Fighting Goetia alongside Gudako, drained her of all her mana._

_It actually made both her **and** Gudako sick upon returning. Both Master’s couldn’t leave their bed for days. _

_Though, Gudako’s reason might have been different from her own reason._

_She lost a good friend and ally, Romani Archaman. Though Gudako always told her that she only saw Romani as a friend, the hickeys whenever she left his room early in the morning, told Hakuno a different story._

_She can’t even begin to imagine what Gudako must be going through._

_“Master is too! She said those exact words to me when I visited her this morning!” Nero tells Hakuno proudly. “You two must be on the same wavelength! But, I asked Master did she want to leave Chaldea for a bit, and of course, she told me no!”_

_“She is still mourning that liar.” Gilgamesh mutters._

_“Gil!” Hakuno scolds. “Stop saying that!”_

_“You know it as well as I do Hakuno. We talked about this long before it happened.”_

_That is true as well. Gilgamesh whispered in her ear that little hunch, upon their return from London._

_“That man is Solomon.” Is all he said._

_Upon more questioning, all the answers the demigod king gave her, was some variation of: “That doctor doesn’t do a good job of hiding his true identity. Anyone with half of a brain can see his true form. Even lesser heroic spirits know the truth. You do not need high clairvoyance to come to the same conclusion that I did, Master.”_

_Then, does that make **her** a liar too? After all, she knew the truth before Gudako did, and she didn’t tell her. _

_“I hate to say it, but I agree with goldie there Praetor.” Nero mutters in a low voice._

_What?! Nero agrees with Gilgamesh too?! Do all heroic spirits hate Solomon too?_

_“Pushing my dislike of the Mage King aside, Praetor! I cannot allow yourself and Master to stay cooped up in these small rooms any longer!”_

_That proclamation earned a snort from the King of Heroes._

_“W-What…?” Hakuno asks, with her eyes widened._

_“Praetor, I propose that we leave this dreary mountain of snow and cold, and visit the spring flowers in Rome!”_

_“How?” Hakuno questions. “We’re not allowed to leave the mountain and Nero, it’s **winter,** what flowers are bloom-“_

_“Rayshifting there silly! Honestly, the company you keep needs to be better Hakuno, with goldie doing everything for you, you have lost a little of yourself!”_

_“Saber…” Gilgamesh warns._

_Rayshift? They could do that._

_“Gil says that mana supply may be cut off from Chaldea soon.” Hakuno says, stretching a bit._

_“I heard that as well. Which is why we need to this now! If not for me, do it for Gudako! I’m sure seeing the flowers and having a good meal, will cheer her up!”_

_“Hakuno needs to stay with me.” Gilgamesh chimes in. “There is no telling what trouble she will get into with you lot.”_

_“And you need to learn to share King of Heroes. I believe that you are strong enough to protect Hakuno, but she is not your wife! Nor is she a mere object in your treasury that you can hoard! Besides, don’t you have to return to your kingdom soon?! With your more tolerable older self, having yet to be summoned, you are having to stand in his place I hear.”_

_“I was going to return in the morning, and bring Hakuno with me.” Gilgamesh explains, finally sitting up._

_“We can rayshift her to Uruk later!” Nero proposes. “Gilgamesh, Gudako is your Master too, you can’t let her wallow in grief forever.”_

_“She is not **my** Master. I am not so willing to switch sides as quickly as you are, Saber.” _

_“Gilgamesh!” Hakuno exclaims again._

_“You are treading on dangerous territory king.” Nero hisses._

_“Still, I will allow Hakuno to decide. What do you wish to do, Master? What is your desire? Do you pity Ritsuka enough to keep her company for a few days? Or do you wish to stay with me?”_

_“You can live without her for a week, Gilgamesh. No one is trying to steal her from you.” Nero reminds the demigod king._

_“I-I’ll go with Nero.” Hakuno finally manages to say. She’s only been to check on Gudako once or twice a week._

_She needs to do better, and Nero is right, Gil should be okay. Siduri will be there in Uruk, to keep him on track of things._

_“Then it is settled. I expect you to return my Master in one-piece Saber.”_

_“You don’t need to worry about that.” Nero simply states. “Say your goodbyes to him, Praetor. Gudako is already getting ready to leave! We are bringing a few of the child Servants with us.”_

_His crimson eyes stare her down, as if expecting something._

_Shit, he really wants her to do this in front of Nero?! This must be her punishment for choosing to go with Nero…_

_Fine. She can do this. It’s only a kiss._

_Placing her hands on his bare chest, the victor of the Moon Cell takes a deep breath._

_“I’ll be back soon Gil.”_

_“So, you intend to expect me to wait for you, without payment? That is not how this works, Hakuno.”_

_Teasing._

_He’s just teasing her._

_Closing her eyes, her lips meet the arrogant kings._

_Parting, the kings hand rests on her cheek for a good minute, before Nero tugs on her hand._

_“Come on, Hakuno! Let’s go!”_

_….Was it just her imagination or did she hear him laugh, as she left?_

_After being hugged to death by Gudako, Nursery Rhyme, Jack, and Jeanne Alter Lilly, Da Vinci rayshifted them but not without a warning._

_“Be careful. Please, we cannot afford to lose either of you.”_

_“We’ll be back soon, Da Vinci!” Gudako says with a smile on her face._

_Closing her eyes one instant, and in the next bright, warm sunlight fills her vision._

_“You were right Nero! You picked a perfect time for us to rayshift here!” Looking around, she places a hand on Hakuno’s shoulder._

_“Right Hakuno?” She asks. “You think this is cool too, right?”_

_Cool? Pretty is more like it. Flowers in bloom all around them, and as a far as the eye can see. Warm, but not hot weather._

_Comfortable. That’s what this is._

_“Y-Yeah.”_

_The Assassin, Jack, takes one step forward before stopping._

_“….I think I sense something.”_

_“What?!” Gudako takes a step backwards._

_“I believe Jack is right.” Nero mummers, her eyes squinting in order to attempt to see the enemy. “I too, sense a large number of enemies coming this way.”_

_“Dammit! Why can’t anything go our way?!” Gudako hisses, anger present in her voice._

Jack was the first one to faint, then Nursery Rhyme, then Jeanne Alter Lilly.

“Hakuno, please, I need you to have a Servant!” Gudako pleas, to which Hakuno shakes her head.

“I’m okay. Just summon someone, _anyone_ to help us.” Hakuno utters, holding out her left hand, attempting to cast some form of Magecraft.

“So stubborn! No wonder you and Gilgamesh get along so well!” Gudako teases, turning her attention back to the summoning circle.

No quartz, no catalyst.

This is going to horribly. Maybe even a weak Servant will help at this point.

“Alright!” Gudako holds out her hand, whispering the summoning chant. Much to her surprise, the hastily put together summoning circle, begins to glow.

 _“Please, send someone strong!”_ Gudako prays.

Hakuno quickly looks behind her, as a gust of wind sweeps through the area.

Whew. Good, it’s working.

“Praetor, stay back!” Nero orders, “The last thing that needs to happen, is you getting hurt!”

“Can you use your Noble Phantasm?!” Hakuno asks, taking a few steps backwards.

“No! All of Masters mana is being used to summon a new Servant!”

Shit, maybe she should have been the one to summon a new Servant.

Rainbow!

She saw a Rainbow! Or maybe the sunlight is just playing tricks on her…

In any case, Gudako’s energy is renewed.

Whatever the hell she’s summoning, it’ll help them for sure! At least, that’s what she believes.

Pushing herself, using the last bit of her mana, Gudako utters one final sentence of the summoning ritual.

“Seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance!”

Letting out a sigh of relief, as the figure she summoned becomes clearer.

Tall, oh boy, another blondie, obviously a male.

As the man’s eyes open, Gudako’s heart almost stops beating.

Snake eyes. A very familiar set of snake eyes.

Don’t tell her she just summoned a duplicate of Gilgamesh!

Dressed in his traditional Sumerian garb, there is no doubt about it! This man is Gilgamesh!

“Are you the filthy mage that dared to contract with me?” That deep voice asks, disgust present in his voice.

“Gilgamesh…?” Gudako asks. “Quit playing! You know me!”

“Gilgamesh? I know not of that name. Ah, you must be talking about my vessel here.”

“Vessel?”

What, or rather, who did she summon?

“My True Name is Hades. I suppose I must conform to a class. If I were to choose, I would be a Ruler class.”

Wait.

What?! No, this can’t be right! Can it?

“PRAETOR!”

Hades eyes look away from his would be Master, in the direction of the yelling.

A young girl surrounded by spirits. Spirits from his domain.

Brown hair…

Without a second thought, a golden gate opens, and the man calling himself Hades, grabs the weapon that fell from it.

A scythe.

Holding out her hands once more, she begins to cast a spell.

Then, one by one, the enemies, the ghosts start to disappear one by one. With a few of the spirits attempting to flee.

But no, it’s too late for them. A steel chain, with a sharp blade attached at the end, cuts down each spirit as if they were level one enemies.

With the last two ghosts slowly disappearing, Hakuno looks over at Nero, who’s finally collapsed.

“Forgive me Praetor. I-I couldn’t protect you.”

“It’s fine.” Is what she wants to say, instead her eyes drift over to the person who saved them.

Gilgamesh?!

“You are safe now.” He says, bending down so that he’s at eye level with Hakuno. His eyes studying her as if she’s an open book. “You should be careful. Those spirits are quite deadly.”

“Gil!”

“Gil?” The person tilts his head. “You know this vessel as well?”

“Huh?”

“Vessel?” What is he on about?!

“This isn’t funny Gilgamesh; you’re supposed to be in Uruk!”

“I’m afraid you have me mistaken. I am not this ‘Gilgamesh’ person. My name is Hades. I am of the Ruler class.”

Placing a hand on her cheek, causing Hakuno to close her eyes.

“But truthfully, you remind me of someone too. Your hair, your eyes, and your manner of speaking.” Hades shakes his head. “No, I better not let myself get excited until I am sure.”

“Thank goodness, you’re okay Hakuno!” Gudako exhales, falling onto the ground next to Hakuno.

“I’m happy you’re okay too, Gudako.”

“Sorry bout not introducing myself. My name is Gudako. This is Hakuno. Thank you for saving us, uh, Hades was it?”

“Wait, you believe him?!” Hakuno exclaims.

Shrugging Gudako looks up at Hades. “Do you think your Gilgamesh would help us, without bitching? I don’t think so. He helped us without a second thought.”

Hakuno meets those bright red eyes.

That is Gilgamesh, but she can’t deny that the manner of how he speaks is different.

And if she takes a good look at him, he looks just a little older. Older than Caster Gilgamesh even.

“Now, can we find a place to stay? Nero is kind of out of it, but we need somewhere big to stay. I have a few Servants that need a safe place to recover.”

“I haven’t been on the surface for quite a while. Though, I think I might know somewhere safe. Come with me, my would be Master, and Hakuno. I will lead us to a quiet place.”

Standing up, Hakuno turns around to help Gudako up too.

“I think he likes you.” Gudako whispers.


	2. Kore

Kishinami Hakuno raises her hand outwards to the wooden ceiling.

What a nightmare it was to get here.

Between Gudako almost passing out, and Gilgamesh, no, Hades complaining, it took much longer to get here than it should have.

She has to remember that this person may not be Gilgamesh.

Still, it’s hard to do that.

When someone has the exact same face, voice, and mannerisms as someone, it’s hard to tell them apart.

He led them to an abandoned house, just big enough for all of the to sleep comfortably, until they made it to Nero’s palace.

“ _It’s not up to my standards, but it seems that we don’t have much of a choice right now. Your Servant’s are in spirit form correct?”_

_Sighing annoyedly, as Gudako_ walks _inside of the abandoned house she answers the new Servant. “Yeah, I think I’ll be okay, I’m just tired. I feel drained.”_

_Gudako barely made it inside and found a relatively comfy space before falling asleep instantaneously._

The plan today is to contact Chaldea, once Gudako wakes up and inform Da Vinci about the new Servant.

And to discuss about what the best plan of action is.

Da Vinci can register him to Chaldea’s database over the intercoms, so that’s not an issue.

What _is_ an issue however, is Archer Gilgamesh. To say that he won’t react well to this development, is an understatement.

That is, if he ever responds to her calls and messages.

She sent the man a text message before she drifted off to sleep.

“ _Hey. How’s it going?”_

….And no response.

Siduri must be keeping him busy. That, or he lost his phone….again.

“Praetor?” A familiar voice calls, snapping Hakuno out of her train of thought.

Finally sitting up on her would be cot, she looks up at the blonde-haired woman.

“Nero? How are you feeling?” Hakuno asks, stuffing her cell phone back into her pocket.

“Better. Much better than yesterday. I have no idea where those ghosts came from, it’s like they were waiting to ambush us….”

“It’s not your fault Nero.” Hakuno tells the Saber. It really wasn’t. How was Nero supposed to know that they would get ambushed by a horde of strong enemies?

“So, tell me Praetor, who exactly did Gudako summon?” Realizing what she asked, Nero quickly corrects herself. “I mean, I understand it’s Gilgamesh but…”

“But?”

“But something isn’t right!” Nero exclaims, crossing her arms. “He’s being _nice._ Hakuno, he asked me if I was feeling okay! The Gilgamesh we know, would’ve made fun of me for falling to weak enemies such as those!”

Yeah, good point. Can’t really argue with her there.

“You won’t believe me.”

“What? Did he get pushed off a cliff, and lost his memory or something?” Nero asks, a sly smile present on her face.

“He told me that he was just using Gil’s body as a vessel.” Hakuno begins to explain. “The god using Gil’s body is Hades.”

Nero’s eyes widen, before she uses her left hand to cover Hakuno’s mouth.

“Hakuno! Are you crazy?! Don’t say that name out loud!”

What the hell is her problem?! Why is she freaking out about a simple name?!

Slowly, Nero removes her hand from Hakuno’s person.

“Forgive me Hakuno, it seems I’ve failed you as your emperor.” Nero whispers. “I realize that I’ve only told you bits and snippets of my country, but not of my actual culture.”

It’s true that she hasn’t heard too much about Greek and Roman culture, but what does that have to do with the topic at hand?

“It’s bad luck to say his name out loud, Hakuno!” Nero exclaims, “What, do you wish to die early?!”

….And now she’s getting a lecture.

“It’s not your fault, but I cannot allow you to say that gods name out loud!” Nero hisses, looking around, as if scared someone heard Hakuno say that particular name out in the open.

Sighing, Hakuno asks a simple question. “Okay, so what should I call him then?”

If only to stop Nero from freaking out on her.

“You should call him, “ _Pluto”_ or _“Klymenos,”_ That is how my people refer to him.”

….Fine.

“Pluto is possessing Gilgamesh’s body.” Hakuno says once more, attempting to get this conversation back on track.

Nero eyes glance out into the empty hallway for a moment, before returning her attention to Hakuno.

“Forgive me if I have a hard time believing that, Praetor.”

“No, I don’t blame you. I’m having a hard time believing it myself.”

“The personality change could be due to his class change. I believe that Gudako mentioned to me that he is a Ruler now, yes?”

“That still doesn’t explain why he’s calling himself Had-“

“PRAETOR!”

“Why he’s calling himself **Pluto.** ” Hakuno quickly corrects herself.

“If he’s lying, Da Vinci will be able to tell, when she does his spirit origin analysis.”

There’s a good possibility that something went wrong when Gudako summoned him. That much is true. After all, she didn’t use a catalyst, or any quartz. Gudako wasn’t exactly calm when she summoned him either.

“Is Gudako awake?”

“No, she’s still sleeping.”

“Miss Nero, Miss Hakuno.” A soft voice calls from the out in the hallway.

Looking behind Nero, Hakuno finds one Nursery Rhyme, with the child Assassin Jack, behind her.

“Jack, Nursey!” Nero greets, giving the two girls a smile. “How are you feeling? Where is Jeanne Alter?”

“Jeanne is staying with Master.” Jack simply states, running up to the women, giving them both a hug. “We are feeling alright.”

“Stop hugging all of the hugs!” Nursey whines, almost pushing the Assassin “I’m feel okay too! How about you Miss Nero? You fought really hard yesterday.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Nero tells the Caster. “I am quite happy that you two are fine. It sounds like Jalter is fine too.”

“Mm! I didn’t know what Mr. Gilgamesh was summoned too! Did Hakuno summon him?”

“No, your Master summoned him. He helped us out of that mess yesterday.” Hakuno explains, her eyes glancing outside for a moment.

“Oh! That’s good! He must be in a good mood, he offered to buy us sweets, once we reach Nero’s city!” Jack said excitedly, almost hopping up and down.

….Okay, that’s not _too_ odd, Hakuno tells herself. He’s at least a bit nicer with kids, it’s not odd for Gilgamesh to promise kids treats or nice things.

“Where is Gilgamesh now, Jack?” Hakuno asks.

“He’s outside!” Nursey chimes in. “We never got to really look at the pretty flowers yesterday!”

“Yeah, I want to see the flowers to! It was rare to see pretty flowers in London!” In agreement with Nursey Rhyme, she grabs ahold of Hakuno’s hands, and tugs them.

“Come on Nero, let’s go with Jack and Hakuno!” Nursey Rhyme pleas, her eyes meeting Nero’s.

“Alright, alright. I am a kind emperor; besides, I could use the fresh air too. Really, that man could’ve found a nicer house for us to sleep in….I had to sleep on a blanket!”

Inwardly, Hakuno sighs, as she follows Jack down the stairs as quietly as she can, as to not wake Gudako up. With them going outside for a bit, at least Gudako can rest without any loud voices bothering her.

Taking a step outside, the bright sunlight nearly blinds her. It has to be early in the morning, at least seven A.M. and the sun is already this bright and warm.

The two child Servant’s loudly run past both Hakuno and the emperor, laughing loudly as they do so.

“Shall we join the children? I’d rather not leave them on their own for too long…. We are still out in the country, rather than in the safety of Rome.”

“You can go on ahead, I’ll join you in a minute.”

“Praetor, I’d rather you not be alone with him until-“

“It’s fine.” Hakuno cuts off her former Servants worries. “You’ll be right nearby, right? I doubt that he could take on you, Nursey Rhyme, and Jack all at once.”

Well, he could, probably, but a small lie doesn’t hurt too much.

Nero sighs, but nods her head. “Alright, I will be nearby. Call for me if he attempts to hurt you.”

“Will do.”

As Nero catches up with the two child Servants, Hakuno looks behind her, at the old house, walking towards the back of the house.

“I’m surprised that you are not with your friend.”

With her heart racing, Hakuno quickly turns around, the very same person that she was looking for, is standing in front of her.

Gilgamesh.

Yes, that’s what she’ll call him until she has proof that Gilgamesh is indeed possessed by the god of the Underworld, Hades.

“Gil.”

“I’m not that person.” Ruler Gilgamesh counters.

“Stop playing.”

“I’m not joking. I am merely using this body, because this soul was the most suitable for me.”

Gods, what to do? How does she even go about dealing with this?

“Okay, so, how old is the body you’re using?”

There. At least she can get a little information out of him. She can’t really explain it, but this Gilgamesh seems….older. Maybe it’s the way he carries himself, or the way he moves.

“Hm?” His eyes close for a moment, as if pondering the question, she asked him.

“If I were to guess… I would say somewhere between the age of thirty-eight and Forty in human years. To a god however, he or she would still be in infancy.”

So, he _is_ older then, almost a middle-aged man.

“How about you? How old are you?” The man asks, his eyes not leaving Hakuno.

“Nineteen.”

“And you’re a mage? And you aren’t contracted to any Servant?”

“No, Gudako is the only Master in Chaldea, she has a ton of Servants, so there really isn’t much of a point for me to be a Master as well. I would rather support Gudako from the backlines rather than-“

And why is he so close to her?!

With less than an inch between them, Gilgamesh lifts Hakuno’s chin upwards, his own face leaning in closer to her own.

“Contract with me.” He whispers. “I sense great magic from you. More so than the average human being. I need someone who can support my mana needs, and you need someone who can protect you. This is beneficial to both of us, don’t you see?”

No, she doesn’t understand!

“I barely know you.”

“I believe that you know me more than you let on.” His right arm, wrapping around Hakuno’s waist. “Contact with me.” He says again.

“I can’t.”

“You fear that your friend will be upset with you?” Was it her imagination or did he sound sympathetic? “There is no need to worry, surely she realizes that you need a Servant as well, if you are to accompany her.”

“Gudako is a good Master.”

“She is no you.”

“Why?” Hakuno asks, the only reason that she can possibly think of that he would want her to contact with him, is that he remembers the Moon Cell incident.

“Truthfully, you look like someone incredibly familiar.”

Hakuno simply frowns.

“Who then?”

Oh boy, she has to hear this from Guinevere, to Arjuna’s wife, she’s been mistaken for every woman in the book almost.

“My wife.” Gilgamesh mutters. “You look exactly like her when she was a young goddess, when her name was still Kore."

“Gil-“

“Hakuno!” Nursery Rhyme calls, running up to the pair. “Mr. Gilgamesh, Gudako woke up! She’s contacting Da Vinci right now!”

Oh, thank goodness, she’s never been so glad to be interrupted before in her life. 

Reluctantly, Gilgamesh removes his arm from around Hakuno. “Truly, you remind me of my Persephone... You have the same temperament as her, and have the same appearance.”

Persph-who?

What, was that one of his wife’s names? It’s true that Gilgamesh did have an enormous number of wives….maybe this form of Gilgamesh is mistaking her for one of his wives.

Still, that talk of goddess…he wouldn’t marry a goddess.

“L-Let’s go check on Gudako.” Hakuno said, desperately trying to change the subject.

“Come on Hakuno!” Grabbing Hakuno’s hand, “You too Mr. Gilgamesh!”

“Oh, there you are Haku!” Gudako says, rolling over on her back, looking up at Hakuno and Gilgamesh.

“….Why are you on the floor?” Hakuno asks, moving to sit next to the younger Master.

“I feel like shit.” Gudako simply states, “I’m contacting Chaldea now, but I really feel like garbage. Like, I haven’t slept enough, even though I’m pretty sure I’ve slept all night.”

Before too long, a light blue screen appears a few feet in front of Gudako.

“Hey Da Vinci.” Gudako weakly greets. “We got some wild shit to tell you.”

“Oh?~ What, did you finally find a way to confess your love to Mash here?” The Caster teases, earning a “Da Vinci!” from Mash.

“No!” Gudako exclaims, a light blush present on her face. “As soon as we were Rayshifted here, we were attacked. We ended up summoning an interesting Servant. Hey, Hades, can you get in the frame for a second, please?”

Gilgamesh exchanges a glance with Hakuno before bending down just enough so that he’s face to face with Da Vinci.

“…That’s Gilgamesh Gudako.” Da Vinci says.

“He’s calling himself Hades. He’s of the Ruler class apparently. That’s one of the reasons I was calling you, is it possible for you to analyze his Spirt Origin from Chaldea? Oh, and can you analyze my vitals while you’re at it, since I summoned this guy, I’ve felt like shit.”

“Hades? Mash, can you check Gudako’s vitals while I check his Spirit Origin?”

“On it!”

“Hades, jeez it feels so strange to say that, but well, stranger things have happened right? Anyway, Hades, can you sit in between Gudako and Hakuno for me?”

Without argument, Gilgamesh does as Da Vinci asks.

“Wait, you believe him too, Da Vinci?”

“So far, yes, do you think your Gilgamesh would do as I ask, without any argument? He would say something like, “You wish for me to sit on the dirty ground mongrel?!”

True. She can’t argue with that.

“This should only take a few seconds. In the meantime, mind telling me why you chose _this_ guy as your vessel?”

“As I told Hakuno, this soul was compatible with mine, I’m afraid that there isn’t some grand explanation.”

“I see, I see.” Turning her head away from the monitor for the moment, Mash appears in her stead.

“Master! I think I figure out why you feel so bad!”

“Am I dying?” Gudako asks jokingly.

“No, it’s your mana levels! Your mana is dropping faster than you can replenish them!”

“…And I think I know why.” Da Vinci chimes in, her figure taking focus again. “It’s because of Hades.”

“Oh, so he wasn’t then?” Gudako asks.

“Not at all! He is one-hundred percent Hades of Greek mythology. God of the Underworld. Not only that, he’s draining your mana!”

To say that’s not good is an understatement. Mages need mana, without it, they can become sick.

“So, what should we do then? I would rather not cut off my contract with him, he did help us out yesterday.”

“Da Vinci, Masters mana levels are getting critically low as we speak!”

Sighing annoyedly, Da Vinci makes a proposal.

“Kishinami Hakuno, I need you to contract with this new Servant.” 

“I-“

“Please.” Da Vinci pleas. “I think the worst thing at this point and time, would be to argue with us.”

“What about Gilgamesh?”

“The best move is to not say anything about you contracting with another Servant. We’re fortunate that Siduri is keeping him busy. If he has an issue with this, which he probably will, Gilgamesh can come talk to me.”

“Da Vinci…”

“Hakuno, Hades is literally draining Gudako of all of her mana, you have much more mana than Gudako does, I believe that you can provide him with the mana that he needs.”

Dammit.

“I don’t want to pull the boss card Hakuno, but I will if I need to.”

What a shitty situation.

If it’s for Gudako…. Fine.

“Alright, alright.” Hakuno gives in, standing up. “If it’s for Gudako, then I’ll do it.”

“Excellent!” Da Vinci exclaims, “Hades, do you have any objections to this?”

“Not at all.”

“Great, Hakuno is going to contract with you, while I take a closer look at Gudako’s vitals.”

It’s not that odd for a god to use a human for their vessel. Ishtar did it, and Parvati did as well.

That’s what she keeps telling herself, but Gilgamesh isn’t human, well not fully.

It’s very strange.

She should talk to Nero about this…

“Where is Nero, Gudako?”

“Huh? Oh. She went to get a cart for us to ride to Rome in. Jack and Jalter went with her.”

Shit.

“Hakuno?” Hades questions. “Is everything alright?”

“It’s nothing. Can I see your hands please?”

Wordlessly, the man intertwines their fingers together.

Taking a deep breath, she begins the contract transfer.

“In my name as Kishinami Hakuno, I swear that we will be equals, and to treat each other respectfully.”

Closing her eyes, she continues the transfer.

_“Aidoneus!”_ A meek voice rings through Hakuno’s mind. _“Aidoneus! Let’s go to Elysian today! There are souls who could use some comforting!”_

_“Aidoneus, I love you!”_

_“Hades, stop using those cheesy pet names, call me Persephone!”_

_“It’s spring Aidoneus, you have to let me go, the world up top is suffering because of your stubbornness.”_

Shaking her head, Hakuno opens her eyes, taking a look at her left hand.

As she thought, three bright red Command Seals are present on her hand.

The contract transfer was successful at least.

That strange voice….was she hearing some of his memories? Looking up, and meeting those bright red eyes, she utters one name.

“Aidoneus.”

Hades simply smiles, pulling Hakuno in hugging her tightly.

“Persephone.”


	3. Aidoneus

“Eh?” The blonde-haired emperor tilts her head to the side. “So, you mean to tell me, Gilgamesh managed to get possessed by a god?” Nero asks. 

Nodding her head, Hakuno stands up brushing the bit of dirt off of her pants. “It sounds like it. Da Vinci sounded pretty sure that Gilgamesh is playing host to Hades.”

“Hakuno, please.” Nero pleads. 

“It’s just a name.” Hakuno retorts. 

“You’re going to give us bad luck to last us three generations at this rate, Praetor,” Nero says in an exasperated tone. “At any rate, our goal, for now, is getting to Rome. Master and yourself can rest comfortably there. I arranged for us to borrow a cart from the nearby city of Dionysia.” 

“Hakuno, our would-be ride is ready to go. Hades used Gilgamesh’s gates to cushion our ride.” Gudako says, walking inside of the abandoned house, tiredness in her voice. 

Sighing once more, Nero takes Hakuno by the hand. 

“Maybe we should offer a sacrifice to Apollo once we get to Rome, to balance off all this bad luck you two are bringing upon us.” 

“I think we’re already cursed with bad luck, regardless if we say Rulers' true name or not.” Gudako points out. “Let’s go you guys, maybe I can take a nap in this thing.” 

Right. She can’t avoid seeing Hades forever. After all, she did contract with the guy. 

She really should tell Gilgamesh what’s going on. If he would ever answer her messages. 

What the hell is going on in Uruk, that’s causing him not to contact her? He would’ve at least called her by now. 

Something is wrong. Next time they contact Da Vinci and Sherlock, she should ask Da Vinci to look into what’s going on in Uruk, if she can. 

Walking outside, the warm sunlight hits Hakuno’s skin. 

Almost too warm if she’s being honest. Instead of a Spring morning, it feels more like a Summer morning. 

“Hakuno.” Her new Servant calls, damn near running up to her. 

She opens his mouth to call him by his true name but quickly remembers that Nero is standing right there beside her. She’ll no doubt have a cow if she calls him ‘Hades.’

“Aidoneus.” Hakuno greets. “Are you ready to go? How are you feeling? Are you receiving enough mana?”

“I’m feeling fine. How about yourself? Are you getting used to the feeling of being contracted with me?” 

Truthfully, she hasn’t noticed any changes besides that weird vision she had earlier. That’s normal though, it’s normal to see glimpses of a contracted Servants past. 

“Yes. I’m not noticing anything strange. I feel the same as before, I’m not feeling sick or anything.” Hakuno promises, meeting the Ruler’s crimson eyes.

“That makes me happy.” His eyes drift down to the red emperor, noticing that she has her hand intertwined with Hakunos. 

“Emperor, where exactly are you taking us?” Hades asks, slightly glaring at the Saber. 

“My home, Rome. My Master and your Master can rest easy, and peacefully there. Wouldn’t you like that King of Shadows?” 

“I would prefer if you didn’t call me that, Nero,” Hades warns, his eyes narrowing. “Or shall I call you Whore of Babylon?” 

Hakunos eyes dart between her former and current Servant. The friendly atmosphere has all but vanished, tension replacing the cordial atmosphere. 

“Still a dick.” Nero mummers. “I thought having this god possessing that body would make your personality a bit more bearable, but it seems I’ve been mistaken.” 

“And I will remind you that Hakuno is not your Sporus. What, are you going to force Hakuno to stay by your side as you did with that poor boy?” 

The Emperor's expression darkens. “And Hakuno is not your Persephone or your Enkidu. Get that through your thick skull!”

This is taking a turn for the absolute worse. 

“Are we going to stand here all day, or are we going to get going?” Gudako suddenly asks, cutting through the tension present in the air. “I would like to sleep in an actual bed tonight, please.”

“Gudako’s right. Whatever problem you two have with each other, can’t it wait until we get somewhere…. safer?” Hakuno asks, her eyes darting in between the two Servants. 

Wordlessly, Hades grabs Hakuno’s hand, gently pulling her away from Nero’s side. 

“The other Master is right. If we stand around here too long, those same enemies from yesterday will find us here.” 

“They were undead enemies.” Nero reminds Hades. “Who is to say that you didn’t send them?”

“I wasn’t even summoned, woman. Or did you already forget that? Are your headaches that bad, that it causes you to lose your memory?” 

“Gil!” Hakuno hisses, glaring up at the Ruler. 

“Listen to your Master, King of Shadows if you know what is good for you,” Nero warns, hopping up onto the cart. 

Ignoring Nero’s words, Hades instead picks Hakuno up effortlessly, sitting her next to Gudako, before getting onto the cart himself. 

“Miss Nero, how long will it take to get to Rome?” Jack asks, moving to the front of the cart. 

“Probably a half a day at most.” Nero muses, helping Nursery Rhyme onto the cart. 

“Wait for me!” Jalter Lilly exclaims, hopping onto the cart with ease. 

“Quick question,” Hakuno begins looking around. “Who is gonna drive this thing? Obviously, it can’t be the children.” 

“I could drive it!” Jalter whines, crossing her arms. 

“I would suggest the emperor control our vessel.” the Ruler states, shrugging. “She, after all, knows where we’re going.” 

“And you too should know where we are going, in all of your great wisdom. Or did the Grail wipe your memories as well?” Nero asks, assuming control of the cart, as Jack quickly moves to sit next to her, “Hakuno, come sit by me. As much as I hate to say it, this man is not the arrogant Gilgamesh you know.” 

Glancing at Hades for a moment, Hakuno swallows. She should get to know him better, she thinks to herself. The fact that he’s possessed Gilgamesh, to begin with, is confusing to her. Gilgamesh claims that not even a corrupted Holy Grail could corrupt him, so the fact that a god has managed to use him as a vessel confuses her. 

That means someone is lying. Either Gilgamesh himself is lying, and he, in fact, _can_ be easily corrupted, or Hades is lying about the Grail simply pairing himself with Gilgamesh’s body. 

….And the fact that Gilgamesh isn’t answering her calls is making her even more nervous about this whole situation. 

“I’ll be okay. I want to talk with Ha-Aidoneus.” Hakuno tells Nero, who sighs. 

“It is settled then!” Hades exclaims. Is it her imagination, or is he _smiling_ at her?

Shit, why is her heart beating so fast at such a simple act?

“Come, sit by me, and I will answer talk about anything you wish with you.” Hades offers, and Hakuno reluctantly accepts. 

“If you touch her while we’re traveling King of Heroes-”

“Quiet Emperor.”Hades hisses, “Your job is to get us to Rome, not to mother my Master.”

“Praetor! Can’t we send him to go get looked at back at Chaldea?! I cannot deal with him for too much longer!” Nero huffs. 

“I-It’s alright. Please stop fighting you two.” Hakuno pleads looking in between the two Servants. 

“You are too kind, Hakuno.” Nero says, returning her attention to what’s in front of her, “We will be in Rome in a few hours, so try to relax a little. That goes for you too Gudako.” 

“Mhmm.” Gudako says with a stretch, her eyes closing, Jalter Lilly curling up to next to her Master. 

Hakuno isn’t sure how long it was quiet before Hades spoke, the only thing she is sure of, however, is that his eyes never left her for all that time. 

She should try to contact Gilgamesh again. 

“You are truly beautiful.” Hades utters, “There is a part of me that wonders if you are a reincarnation of my Persephone.”

“I’m not human.” Hakuno counters, “So, I can’t possibly be your wife.” 

There. That should kill any thoughts or misconceptions about her being his wife. 

“You are being quite foolish right now.” Hades teases with a chuckle, “Persephone was a goddess herself, so it makes complete sense that you are not human. It would seem reincarnation isn’t a perfect process after all.”

**Oh no.**

This isn’t good at all! He’s completely getting the wrong idea. 

“Listen, I’m Hakuno. I’m nobodies wife. Besides, you should really stop and think about the words you’re saying, someone, could get the wrong idea if you started calling people beautiful.”

Suddenly, Hades leans his face in close to hers, “I meant what I said. You are beautiful, Hakuno. Your innocent face and kindness add to your beauty.” 

Okay, okay, okay, she has to calm down! This isn’t Gilgamesh saying these words to her, but someone using his body. 

But yet...it’s his voice saying these kind words to her. 

“Gil…” 

“Hm?”

“Nothing, nothing.” Shaking her head, Hakuno pulls her face away from Hades, her back leaning against the hardwood of the cart. 

This man is dangerous, she decides. 

“You are quite special. I’m glad that I was summoned by you, Hakuno.” 

Gods, he really needs to quit saying honeyed words with that voice of his! 

“Aidoneus-”

“Praetor, Master! Something is heading straight for us!” Nero exclaims, as Nursery Rhyme, and Jack slowly wakes up. 

“Gudako!” Hakuno calls, reaching over to shake the younger Master awake. 

“The hell….?” Gudako mutters groggily, sitting up, squinting her eyes.

“Achilles…” Hades mutters, locking eyes with Hakuno, “I don’t think he means to cause us harm.”

Ah, that’s right Ruler’s have the ability to merely look at a Servant a discern their True Name. 

“Achilles?!” Gudako exclaims, catching a glimpse of that green hair of his. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, Nero sits back down as Achilles leaps into the air, landing onto the cart, causing it to shake.

“I thought I sensed Master, but I wasn’t expecting to see you all here with her!” The Rider states, with a smile. 

“Achilles! What are you doing here?” Gudako questions.

“Hunting. Then I heard something strange was happening outside of Rome, so I was going to go check it out for myself, that is until I ran into you all. You lot are probably heading to Rome, right? I’ll make sure you make it there safely.” 

Ignoring Achilles's arrogant tone, Nero asks a question instead, “What is going on, Achilles?” 

“Huh? Oh, the cult of Demeter is pretty worked up about something. They’re out here in the wild doing something or another. I was going to investigate, until like I said, I sensed Master.” 

“It’s probably to do with this unbearable heat.” Hades states, “It is supposed to be Spring is it not? Then why is it so hot?” 

“Huh? The golden boy is here too?” 

“Long story.” Gudako interrupts, “We could go with you, Achilles.”

“Absolutely not, Master.” Nero says, “You need to rest.” 

“Then I will go with Achilles.” Hades offers, “It would be a good opportunity to train with my own Master.”

A small lie. Truthfully, if the cult of Demeter lays eyes on Hakuno, they will surely see that she is in the reincarnation of Persephone. 

“I wouldn’t mind. It’ll give Gudako a chance to rest.” Hakuno chimes in, “What do you think Achilles?” 

“Ehhhh. I suppose I wouldn’t mind. What does Master think?”

“We should at least rest for a moment before Hakuno goes anywhere. I would feel a little better with Hakuno with you.” 

“I’m not a weakling.” Achilles argues. 

“I know, I know. I can’t help but worry though.” 

“You’re a mother hen, Master.” Achilles teases, wrapping an arm around Gudako. 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

“Are you not excited Hakuno? I can show you all my capabilities in battle.” With a smile, Hades takes Hakuno’s hand into his own. 

“Are you sure? We don’t know what we’re walking into here.” 

“It will be fine.” Hades assures Hakuno, allowing her to scoot closer to him, “You rest. I will wake you when we’ve arrived in Rome.” 

Much to Hakuno’s dismay, she finds herself leaning her head against his shoulder, her eyes closing. 

Gilgamesh can wait for a few minutes. 


	4. Ambrosia

“Master, Praetor! Tell me, what do you think about my wondrous city?!” Nero exclaims, “Gudako as seen Rome before, but you have not Hakuno. Surely you think this is better than that backwoods Uruk don’t you?” Before Hakuno can even answer, Nero is pulling her close, embracing her in a tight hug, “Of course you do. You just don’t want to say anything mean. I understand.” 

“I think both places are nice. Each has their own things that are good about them.” Gudako says yawning.

“For someone that says their head is hurting, you sure do have a lot of energy…” Achilles comments, running a hand through his hair. 

“Are you okay? You looked like you were about to pass out as we were coming into the city.” Hakuno asks softly. 

“I’m fine.” Nero assures Hakuno pulling away, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m going to be able to show you around my Rome, as I wanted to. These damn migraines just won’t go away.” 

“You get some rest, Nero. You too Gudako.” Hakuno says, turning her attention to Gudako, “You look tired.”

“I’m going to contact Chaldea and see if we can get a rayshift back to Chaldea. We need to get Hades registered into the system anyway, and you’re worried about Gilgamesh, aren’t you?” 

She is. 

“Gilgamesh? Hakuno, who is that?” Hades questions, those red eyes narrowing. 

“Ah-” Hakuno starts.

“Nero! Where did the kid Servants go?!”

“I thought you were watching them.” Nero simply states with a shrug, “I suppose we should go find them, before returning to my home.” 

“Meet us back at Domus Aurea. Achilles will know where it is.” Gudako says before running off to catch up with Nero. 

“...I should help them look for those kids, shouldn’t I? Who knows where they ran off to.” With a sigh, Achilles takes a step forward, “Hakuno can you wait here for me for a bit? I can take you to some places that Nero would want to show you.” 

“I’ll do it.” Hades quickly states. 

“You don’t know your way around here Goldie. You would get lost quicker than shit. This isn’t your Uruk Gilgamesh.” Achilles reminds the golden king. 

“I am not this person that you all keep referring to!” Hades hisses, “Hakuno, this man is stupider than I remember.” 

Ignoring the insult thrown his way, Achilles turns his attention to Hakuno, “Did your Servant hit his head again, and lose his memories?”

How to explain this situation to Achilles in a way that he’ll believe her…? It’s not like she can come out and say, “That’s not actually Gilgamesh at all, but Hades.” 

“How arrogant of you to just assume the situation. You fool, it is Hades you are talking to. I am using this body here to appear before you.”

Or perhaps he can just come right and tell the truth.

“….Did he really lose his memories Hakuno? It’s okay, you can tell me that Nero is just teasing him, and I’ll break the news to this guy.” 

“I’m not sure how it happened but, I can promise you that he’s not lying Hades. Da Vinci herself took a look at him, and confirmed Hades Spirit Origin.” Hakuno explains. 

“You don’t need to explain anything to him. This man who would rather play his lyre than fight on the battlefield. This man who dragged Hector's body around night after night, in a blind thirst for revenge. Even as a Heroic Spirit, Ares's rage has never left you. No matter how long you serve this Master of yours, Patroclus will never be by your side.” Hades tells the Rider, a smirk present on his face. 

“That’s enough,” Hakuno mutters, she has no idea what her Servant is talking about but with the mention of this Patroclus person, Achilles clenched his fist. 

“I’m going to go talk with Master about this. I will warn you Hakuno, that if I find out that your Servant did, lose his memories, and you haven’t told him, I will send him back to the Throne of Heroes. I will meet you back in this exact spot in an hour.” 

Before Hakuno can defend herself, Achilles is already taking off running to catch up with Gudako. 

“You shouldn’t have said that.” Hakuno scolds, “He’s just confused about the situation.”

“He was talking to you in a tone that I did not appreciate.” Hades simply states, “Now put Achilles away from your mind for the moment, we have a moment to ourselves do we not?” 

Not waiting for an answer, Hades wraps his arms around Hakuno, pulling her close to him.

“W-We shouldn’t go too far away from this spot,” Hakuno suggests, ignoring how hard her heart is beating. 

“Hm? It is not something I’d like to admit but I don’t know my way around this city. Unlike the other gods, I never appeared in the human world as often as other gods like Zeus, you see.” 

What is he going on about…? She knows that Hades is the god of the underworld, but isn’t too sure about the names of any of the other gods, or how they function. 

...She really needs to do research when she gets back to Chaldea. For now, the least she can do is help him enjoy his time with her. If she’s lucky she can find a spot to contact Gilgamesh as well. 

“Why don’t we just head straight then?” Hakuno proposes, “It looks like there are some stalls ahead.” 

Staring off into the distance for a moment, Hades nods his head, “I will allow this. I need you to stay by my side however, as sad as it is to say, women get kidnapped from this city all the time. It is just a fact of life.” 

“Right….” Hakuno whispers as Hades takes Hakuno’s hand, leading the way. 

“Have you ever been to a city like Rome before?” Hades asks, glancing at Hakuno for a moment. 

“Not by myself,” Hakuno admits, even when she’s in Uruk with Gilgamesh, she’s mostly in the Ziggurat. She can’t leave the Ziggurat without someone with her, for the very same reason Hades won’t let her out of his sight right now. Women tend to go missing. “My...friends, don’t like me going places alone.” 

Taking in the sights of the marketplace, Hakuno can’t help but notice one thing: how loud it is. She can barely hear Hades over everyone talking. 

No wonder Nero constantly has headaches. 

All of the sudden, the smell of something sweet hits Hakuno. Damn. 

Taking a few steps to the right with Hades right behind her, Hakuno finds the source of the sweet smell. Golden brown fried dough, almost like the doughnut holes Emiya makes her every now and then.

“You like sweets?” Hades asks, with a brow raised.

“Mm. Do you know what this is?” 

“Ah, I believe these are  _ Globuli _ . They are fried curd cheese rolled around in honey. I’m not sure that you will like that.”

Curd cheese…? That doesn’t sound good at all if she’s being honest. 

“Why not try this instead?” Hades suggests, points at another sweet bread, “I believe you’ll like  _ Libum _ better than Globuli. Libum is similar to cheesecake in your world.” 

Wait, he’s going to buy her one of these sweets?! She can’t ask him to do that. 

“No, you don’t have to get me one. I was just looking.” 

“You wish for this, do you not? You are contracted to the richest of all the gods. What kind of husband would I be if I did not provide for my woman's wants?” 

He _ really _ needs to stop saying words like that with that face of his. She might start to get the wrong idea at this rate. 

“I-” Hakuno stops mid-sentence as Hades opens a small golden gate, and a few gold coins fall from it. Hakuno watches Hades barter with the owner of the sweets stall for a moment before he turns around holding a pastry in his hand. 

“Here. You may praise me now, Hakuno.” Hades teases, handing Hakuno the Libum. 

“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that though.” Hakuno tells him once more. 

“It is getting quite loud here. Shall we try to find a quiet spot for you to enjoy your sweets? I would like to hear your thoughts about it.”

That would be nice, she can barely hear his voice in this loud crowd. 

“Okay. I don’t know how successful we’ll be. It seems that Rome is pretty loud.” 

“Stay close to me.” Hades orders, as Hakuno nods. 

Hakuno follows Hades through the loud marketplace, down a side street, before finding herself in front of a large fountain, watching the waterfall forth from it for a few moments, before Hades is urging her to sit down next to him. 

“Have you never seen a water fountain before?” Hades questions, as Hakuno takes a seat on the edge of the fountain. 

“Mmm. Not really. Do you want a bite? You only got one…” Hakuno offers holding up the Libum. 

“You eat first. You need sustenance more than me.” 

“I’ll feed you.” Hakuno says ignoring Hades comment as she holds up the Libum, “Take a bite.” 

Frowning for a split second, Hades closes his eyes and leans down, taking a bite out of the pastry. 

With a smile, Hakuno watches Hades swallow before taking a bite herself, her eyes widening at the slightly sweet taste on her tongue. 

“It’s _ is _ like cheesecake.” Somewhat bewildered Hakuno takes another bite. 

“You are so amazed by the simplest of things. Did you know Libum was offered to the gods as offerings? If you were to become my Persephone you could have any offering you would like. The humans would surely worship you as a goddess in human form.” 

“I’m Hakuno. I don’t know any Persephone.” Hakuno says with a frown, “You’ve gotten me mistaken.”

There she flat out said he’s got her confused this time. There’s no way he can flip her words around. 

“That is because your reincarnation process was flawed. Your memories are not as they should be. Tell me, what was your childhood like? Your mother? Your father?”

“I don’t know my parents. I told you, I’m not human. I was created by something called the Moon Cell.” 

“Ah, so Selene is the goddess that has seen fit to bring you to me.” Leaning his face in closer to hers, the sound of her own heartbeat rings loudly in her ears. 

This is  _ not  _ good. No matter what she says, or how she says her words he twists them to fit his narrative. He must have Gilgamesh’s charisma on steroids because there’s a part of her starting to believe this narrative of his. 

“The Moon Cell isn’t a godd-” 

“Hakuno, why do you resist these feelings? I am calling out for you, and your body is calling out for me. You are already gripping my shoulders so tightly.” 

Dammit, she can feel his breath on her lips now! Think, think think, how to get out of this situation…

“You’re thinking too hard,” Hades mutters. 

Oh, that’s laughable coming from the guy who is thinking that she’s a goddess! He’s the embodiment of “thinking too hard!”

But yet, he’s so close to her, he’s so warm, she finds her eyes closing as his lips meet hers, the sweetness from the pastry still lingering on his tongue. 

“I was just looking for you, Hakuno!” Achilles' voice snaps Hakuno back to reality causing her to pull away from Hades, her face red. 

“A-Achilles!” Hakuno exclaims, to which Hades lets out an annoyed sigh. 

“You are a lucky little lady.” Achilles begins, stepping closer to the pair, “Da Vinci showed me proof that your words were true. I find it hard to believe that your Servant of all people would allow a god to possess his body, but I suppose there are stranger things that have happened in Chaldea.”

“Are you ready to depart, Achilles?” Hades questions, obviously annoyed, “Do you know where the cult is located?”

“Of course. It’s not far from where I found you guys as you were heading into Rome.”

“Then lead the way Achilles.” Hades orders, grabbing Hakuno’s hand again. 

“What is Demeter's cult doing that is causing concern?” Hades questions Achilles as they cross through hills filled with flowers. 

“They are performing rituals, which is all well and good. Except it’s nowhere near time for them to perform their yearly rituals. That usually happens in the late Summer. It’s the start of Spring. I suppose they are attempting to welcome Persephone back into the world, but the way they’re going about it is…. Not to my liking.”

“Oh?”

“They are capturing young girls who  _ may  _ fit the description of Persephone. Rumors in the city are the high priestess was granted a vision of a young girl who would be most capable with Persephone’s soul, whatever that means.” Achilles explains, looking over at Hades, “I’m sure you find that idea disagreeable King of Shadows. As do I.”

Wait, Persephone is a goddess?! All this time she thought Persephone was a normal girl, a human! 

“They may be trying to do what Ishtar's cult did for Ishtar. They may be trying to find a capable body for her.” 

“That’s what I was thinking. However, I feel that there is more going on here than what I’m hearing in the streets.” 

“I do as well,” Hades admits, a solemn expression on his face.

She should try to get information about these gods and goddesses Hades and Achilles are talking about. She can tell you about Ereshkigal, and Ishtar no problem, but any other Greek god or goddess besides Hades and Zeus? No clue. 

“W-Who is Demeter? I’m sorry, I don’t know too much about your culture Achilles.” 

“Demeter is the goddess of the harvest. She is also the mother of Persephone.” Achilles tells Hakuno. 

“She is also a thief. She no doubt hid you away to keep you from me.” Hades mutters in a low enough voice so only Hakuno can hear him. 

“Where the cult is residing should be up ahead. Remember, we’re not here to cause trouble, only to look around. If we can get information about what’s really happening here, even better.” Achilles reminds Hakuno and Hades. 

“I care not what they’re planning to do. Once they lay eyes on Hakuno here they will realize that their search for Persephone is over, for she is right here.” 

“What?” Achilles asks shaking his head, “I hate to break this to you, but Hakuno is not your Persephone.”

“You dare question me?” 

Achilles chuckles a minute before suddenly stopping. “Do you feel that?”

Standing still, Hakuno feels the ground shaking underneath her. 

“Hakuno!” Hades quickly pulls Hakuno to his right side, just as the ground splits open, and ten different skeleton enemies emerge from the crack in the ground. 

“Hey! How about telling your lackeys here not to attack us Hades!”

“This is not my doing!” Hades spits back, summoning his scythe from the Gates of Babylon. 

“Stand back Hakuno!” Achilles urges, as both of the Servants easily dispose of the enemies in a matter of seconds. 

“Are you alright?” Hakuno asks, running up to Hades.

“Of course. They were nothing to me.” Hades replies with a smirk. 

“Hold on, someone is running towards us.” Achilles whispers.

Squinting her eyes, Hakuno sees a young girl that can’t be more than twelve running towards them. 

A few minutes later the young girl is standing in front of them panting as Achilles bends down so that he’s at eye level with her. 

“Lady Demeter said she sensed you Achilles!” 

“Hm? Lady Demeter?” 

“Mm. The older priestess summoned her a few weeks ago! It’s hard to explain, but you’ll understand once you see her!”

“Hey now, what makes you think I’m going to just go with you kid?”

“Because Lady Persephone is here with you! Lady Demeter said she saw her heal this man next to her. A normal human can’t do healing spells of that nature she said!”

“Wait a minute-” Hakuno starts.

“What do you think, Hades? Should we go with this kid?” Achilles asks. 

“I would like to see the manner of how they summoned Demeter. It’s as I said Hakuno, the humans will worship you as a goddess.” 

Just as Hakuno reaches her hand out to grab Hades arm, she feels her phone vibrating in her pocket.

Pulling her phone out she stares at the caller ID

Gilgamesh is calling her.

What shitty timing. 


End file.
